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You’ve probably heard that planting trees is one of the best ways to mitigate the effects of global warming, but how are forests and climate change interconnected?
Unbeknownst to most people, forests and climate change are directly related to one another – as trees can help to absorb excess carbon dioxide emissions, and climate change has a negative impact on the livelihood of forests and their subsequent ecosystems and surrounding wildlife.
In this article, we’ll explain how forests and climate change are related, how deforestation affects climate change, and the future of forests and climate change.
Forests and climate change are related as forests can help to reduce the rate of climate change by absorbing excess carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere, and climate change threatens the vitality of our forests, their ecosystems, and surrounding wildlife.
Climate change is a direct result of too much carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and forests can help to lessen that negative impact – but climate change threatens the future of forests, themselves.
Forests are an important part of our planet and our efforts to reduce the negative effects of climate change, such as by helping to absorb rainwater, avoid the worst effects of flooding, preserving soil and water quality, and more.
Here are a few more reasons why forests and climate change are related:
👉 Overall, forests and climate change are interconnected seeing as forests help to mitigate climate change – but rising global temperatures can impact the quality of resources provided by forests, which in turn makes it more difficult for forests to help offset climate change.
Deforestation affects climate change because when trees are cut down, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. This means destroying forests isn’t only bad for the wildlife living there or for society – but for climate change, too.
Unbeknownst to most people, trees don’t just absorb excess carbon dioxide from their leaves – but also store carbon dioxide in their roots and trunks. This means that every time a tree is cut, we continue to contribute to climate change – with forest loss accounting for about 10% of global warming.
Here are a few more reasons why deforestation can elicit a negative effect on climate change:
💡 Did you know that the Amazon rain forest in Brazil is almost the size of the United States? Knowing this, it’s easy to understand how devastating it is that 20% of the Amazon rain forest has been lost as a result of deforestation – and the negative impacts that have ensued as a result.
Climate change has a direct impact on forests since rising temperatures, reduced air quality, droughts, and more impact the sustenance of wildlife and biodiversity in forests – all of which impacts society as a whole.
Think of a massive life-event that either recently happened to you or was necessary to prepare prior to it happening – evidently, it was likely that your life had to be changed in order to accommodate the new circumstances. Forests are thinking the same way when it comes to climate change, as several tree species have started migrating north to avoid extreme warm or dry temperatures.
Climate change has a profound effect on forests, such as by:
👉 Climate change will continue to impact the health and prosperity of forests, which in turn – will prove unhelpful in the global fight to reduce emissions and the miscellaneous negative effects of skyrocketing temperatures.
If we made a bigger effort to preserve forests and even start new forests in suitable regions of the world, we could create a substantial difference in the fight against climate change.
Forests and climate change are profoundly interconnected, to the extent that forests will play a pivotal role in helping us to reduce the amount of exacerbated emissions worldwide – which ironically will be difficult to accomplish if we continue allowing climate change to destroy forests.
Several organizations, such as REDD+ and the UNDP, are working to ensure forests are protected by vouching for reforestation projects and mitigating future deforestation – but what are some of the challenges of working to ensure the relationship between forests and climate change remains beneficial for all?
Here are some of the challenges of working to plant more trees and preserve forests and climate change:
💡 It would be beneficial to plant more trees and preserve existing forests, but climate change is making it difficult to fund these pivotal reforestation projects.
Forests and climate change will both continue to get worse as the negative effects of global warming prevail, but we can all make an effort to support reforestation, preserve existing forests, and fight against climate change.
Some of the ways forest fires and climate change will continue to hinder one another suffuse into business prospects, too. This is because businesses looking to start new industrial processes through deforestation will continue to decrease the amount of available carbon sinks in our natural environment.
Luckily, we can all make an effort to reduce the impact of both forests and climate change – and build a healthier, interconnected relationship between the two.
Here are some ways we can prevent forests and climate change from getting worse moving forward:
Remember – forests and climate change are currently having a negative effect on one another, but it doesn’t have to be that way! If forests are properly protected, it can help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere and mitigate climate change – and if we fight against climate change, our forests have a better chance of helping us in this global battle.
The relationship between forests and climate change doesn’t have to be toxic, but it does need your help if it’s ever going to change.
If reading this article on forests and climate change and how they’re interrelated has made you interested in reducing your carbon emissions to further fight against climate change – Greenly can help you!
At Greenly we can help you to assess your company’s carbon footprint, and then give you the tools you need to cut down on emissions. We offer a free demo for you to better understand our platform and all that it has to offer – including assistance with boosting supplier engagement, personalised assistance, and new ways to involve your employees.
Click here to learn more about Greenly and how we can help you reduce your carbon footprint.